Searching For Something?
by LadyNiniana
Summary: Pippin, the usually lazy hobbit, finds himself unable to rest until he can dispel this sudden, nagging urge that leads him to a close friend's burrow. Perhaps taking the initiative has its perks...
1. Realization

Pippin woke early that morning, which was strange for him. He was normally the sort to sleep till noon. Indeed all the Tooks were of that nature and none of his family had yet stirred from slumber. Slightly irritated with himself, Pippin rolled to his side and attempted to allow sleep to overtake him once more. But peaceful slumber would not return to him. Still grumbling, Pippin rolled out from under his covers and stiffly extricated himself from his bed. As soon as his feet touched the earthen floor of his burrow, an incredibly strong urge overcame him. He was suddenly compelled to do… something… but he couldn't be sure what. He shook his head in an attempt to dispel the strange sensation. It should be noted that Pippin was not the adventurous type. He left that sort of nonsense to Frodo… but this morning, a great desire to go for a walk in the woods overtook him. And while a part of him begged for breakfast, Pippin found himself pulling on a pair of trousers with the intention of exploring the woods behind his burrow.

About an hour later, Pippin found himself completely lost in the woods. But surprisingly, he felt no fear or anxiety about his predicament… He just continued to wander, the peace and tranquility of the woods keeping his thoughts serene and lush. At that moment, he stumbled through a thin line of underbrush and found himself in a small clearing. Pippin stared in wonder at the scenery around him. The trees formed a beautiful canopy above and emerald grass formed a thick carpet beneath his feet. Small drops of dew clung to each blade of grass and stuck between his toes. The sun just peeked through tiny holes in the canopy and gave a sparkling effect to the glade. A quiet bubbling eluded to the fact that there was a brook or small stream nearby. The entire glade was surrounded by huge oaks and gave a great feeling of peace and seclusion. A gentle breeze rustled the branches above and one flowering tree began to lose some of it blossoms. But before he was ready to leave, Pippin was on his way again. His feet continued to lead him on some path he did not consciously recognize.

His strange hike through the woods ended abruptly. One moment he was shrouded by trees, and the next he was blinking blearily in the sunlight. It was with surprise that he found himself outside a very familiar burrow. _How did I end up outside Merry's house?_ He could not imagine why he would want to be at Merry's house this early in the morning, or why he had taken such a strange route to get there. But before he could conclude his contemplations, his restless feeling was driving him towards his friend's door. One knock, two knocks… a third time he pounded on the door. Pippin was suddenly feeling incredibly antsy and began to pace on the doorstep in front of his friend's house. His thoughts were a jumble… they seemed to collide and contradict one another. His own behavior confused him, but at the same time, he wondered where Merry could be.

"I hope he's alright… of course he'll be fine!" Pippin continued his muttering for an extended period before a thought occurred to him. "Of course that's where he would be," he exclaimed as he jumped up from his squatting position on the door mat to walk around the edge of Merry's burrow to his garden in the back.

As the garden in the valley came into view, so did Merry. He was hunched over a row of young fruit trees, his hands and forearms buried deep in the earth. Even from his distant place at the top of the hill, Pippin could see his lips moving. Pippin suddenly felt giddy. He loved it when he caught Merry talking to himself, which he did quite often. For some reason, Pippin could not take his eyes away from his long-time friend. His eyes were glued to his form, drinking in the picture of perfection before him.

One look. One glance. A single moment in time that would haunt Pippin until the end of his days. Something within him clicked into place. Merry's face, so beautiful and pure, was frozen in his mind. The golden hue of his skin, so much finer than the pale white of his own. And the soft waves of his golden hair shining in the afternoon sun, set just above the deep hazel of his eyes, and the slight pout of his lips. His strong features scrunched in consternation as the sapling he had propped up, fell to the side again. He was so perfect, why had he never seen it before? In his heart of hearts, Pippin had always known that Merry was perfect for him, his compliment in all matters, but he had never noticed how utterly breathtaking he was… As the truth finally dawned on him, Pippin felt a joy unlike any other before it, swell within his chest. Without thinking, Pippin raised a hand in greeting and called out Merry's name and began a clumsy gallop into the valley that was the garden…


	2. Unrequited

Merry pulled his hands from the mound of soil before him to push a lock of hair from his eyes. he knew his movement would result in a giant smudge across his forehead… but who cared anyway? He was alone, behind his burrow, tending to his garden, after all. All hobbits are said to have an affinity for the earth and the fruit it bears, but Merry was known throughout all of Hobbiton for his ability to bring forth great crops from the ground. He always felt most at peace when he was outside, tending to a garden. As he continued to knead the earth, he allowed his thoughts to wander. Seemingly of their own accord, his imaginings went immediately to _his_ face. A face so sweet and pure by nature. A smiling face set alive by a pair of twinkling, green eyes and framed by a nest of curly brown locks. he sighed to himself…

"Enough of these foolish daydreams, Merry," he muttered under his breath, "He has never seen you that way before and he never shall." It was true that he had spent a number of hours, everyday, with Pippin for the last few decades. Nothing in his behavior, in the way he spoke to him, or in the way he looked at him suggested that he returned his feelings of longing. Another tortured sigh escaped his lips at this thought.

It was true that, while he and Pippin had been the best of friends since childhood, Merry had started to feel differently about the other hobbit some time ago. He was not sure when it had happened exactly… it was so difficult to tell when the feelings of love had turned from those of a best friend to those of an ardent lover. And through the years he had endured much torture in placating Pippin throughout his many sordid affairs in love. He could remember, in the beginning when he had flirted relentlessly with Pippin in the hopes of winning his attention and affection. But, in one particularly embarrassing memory, Pippin had asked his if he felt alright and told his parents that he thought Merry might have the flu. After many weeks in quarantine, Merry had emerged a changed admirer. _Of course Pippin was too innocent to understand my intentions…_ Merry thought absently. But that innocence was one of the many things that he loved about his hobbit.

"Is he truly _my_ hobbit," Merry wondered aloud. It shocked him to find himself thinking of Pippin as a possession, but it was true. Merry knew he would do anything to have Pippin love him and no one else. Sadness gripped him and Merry trembled until he heard a small snapping sound. He looked down at his hands. On their dusty, dirt-covered surface was a tiny sapling snapped in two. Remorse overtook him as he mourned the loss of a beautiful plant at his own hands. The guilty, angry tears spilled forth from his eyes and fell to create tiny mud puddles in his palms. He could not fool himself; he knew the tears were not for the sapling. In desperation, Merry turned his face towards the heavens. Drawing in a deep breath, he opened his eyes to the feathery clouds and deep-blue sky. The sunlight seemed to shine especially strong in that moment and his face was bathed in its warm, golden glow. This time, his sigh was one of calm. His entire frame relaxed as he returned his thoughts to the earth around him. This time, he focused on the happy trills of the birds in the trees around him as he continued his work.

Crouching in front of the next sapling, he righted the stubborn, little tree and turned to find a piece of twine. Twine in hand, he turned to fix the tree into an upright position, and found the sapling on its side once again. Merry opened his mouth to verbally scold the tiny tree but was, at that moment, pulled from his ministrations by a far-away cry. His head snapped up at the familiar tone. Pippin was running down the slope towards his garden gate. _Oh… this is not going to end well…_


	3. Abusive Angel

Pippin didn't know what hit him. One second he was running… then his head was hurting… and then he was falling… then hitting the ground… and then, he was staring up at an angel. "Pippin," came the soothing melody of the angel's voice, and Pippin suddenly forgot his aching body. He tried to discern any of its features, but the angel's face was blocked by a glowing halo. And then… the angel slapped him. "Pippin! Get up! If you're joking around, it's not funny, you're starting to scare me! And would you stop calling me angel!" A face finally swam into view above him. It was Merry's face, framed and set ablaze by the sun, and Pippin found himself in a delirious state of happiness that it was an irritated Merry, and not an abusive angel, there to help him.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Pippin chuckling and rubbing his cheek as he sat up. "Arghh… what happened?"

"Well, YOU should better than to run, full-speed down a hill by now; you are the clumsiest hobbit I know" Merry snorted. "You stepped on my rake, which hit you in the head. Then you stumbled into my gate and flipped over that… to land here… on my pea plants."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Merry!" Pippin exclaimed as he rushed to stand up, away from the mangled plants. But as he stood, the world began to swim and he felt his knees buckle. It was Merry that saved him from another bump on his head. As he began to stumble, Merry lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Pippins torso to keep him from falling. And, although he could barely support his dead weight, all Merry could think of was the fact that he was holding his dear Pippin!

"I… I'm sorry… again, Merry…for being such a pest," Pippin gasped. And Merry shuddered because Pippin's breath tickled the side of his face as he spoke. He gently lowered his friend to the ground. "But your pea plants!"

"Pippin, it's not my pea plants that I'm worried about!" Merry said, and Pippin could see the concern in Merry's eyes. As Merry came to sit next to him, he couldn't help but smile at the amount of attention he was receiving and his heart began to pound as if it would burst, which did not help his dizziness.

They sat like that for some time, Merry's arms still wrapped protectively around the other hobbit. Pippin didn't want this moment to end, but he suddenly felt the restless urge grip him once again. He knew what he had to do and he jumped to his feet in anticipation. His sudden movement startled Merry and he heard him gasp.

"Sorry, sorry!" Pippin whispered. "There's something I want to share with you, though. Will you come with me?" There was a look of anticipation and excitement shining on Pippin's face and the mood seemed infectious. Merry was shocked a this sudden change in Pippin and was suddenly nervous about what he might want to share, but Merry knew that he would never give up the chance to go somewhere with Pippin.

"Of course I'll go with you, Pippin. But why are you whispering?" Merry said in a hushed voice.

"I… don't… know!" Pippin yelled and smiled deliriously. Merry suddenly couldn't stop laughing and rolled on the ground clutching his sides.

"You really are ridiculous, Pippin. Maybe you hit your head harder than we thought," Merry said, still giggling. "Just give me one second to clean up. I have been outside all…" But Merry didn't get the chance to finish because Pippin grabbed his hand and led him up the slope and away from his house.


	4. Found

"Pippin, the woods really are lovely… but we've been wandering in circles for hours… and it's starting to get dark." Merry called ahead to the other hobbit. They had indeed been hiking through the forest for hours. And, at first, it had been magical. Pippin held his hand as they both stumbled giddily through the underbrush. And Merry had stared up at the trees in wonderment as thin rays of sunshine penetrated the foliage and gave an ethereal, flickering quality to the light. But, as the hours dragged on, Pippin had dropped his hand and began to wander ahead. He began to become aggravated with himself, apparently because he could find a particular place in the woods. Suddenly, Merry heard a cry and a loud thud straight ahead. "Pippin? Pippin!" he shouted. When no answer came, Merry lunged forward through a dense patch of underbrush and fell… right next to Pippin, who lay giggling in the grass!

"Sorry Merry! But the good news is that we're here!" Pippin giggled. Although aggravated, Merry's admonishments were stuck in his throat as he took in their surroundings.

They had finally stumbled into the thicket that Pippin had discovered earlier. Pippin just stared at Merry as his friend took in the magic of their surroundings. _Utter perfection for utter perfection…_ The glade that had seemed so beautiful just that morning, now paled in comparison to the beauty beside him. Indeed they were so close that Pippin could feel the heat that radiated from Merry's body.

Merry was watching the fireflies as they slowly appeared, as if from nowhere. Their flickering and wavering light was mesmerizing. He watched as a delicate dance began to unfold from their seemingly erratic movements. He was broken from his trance with a start when he heard a chuckle right next to his ear. Merry gasped when he turned and saw Pippin's face just inches from his own. "What" he whispered in an awed voice.

"You have a bit of dirt…" Pippin said as he reached forward slowly with his hand to brush the sediment from Merry's forehead. As Pippin drew his fingers over Merry's skin, his eyes never wavered, never moved from the other's. Merry trembled beneath his hand as he traced a line from his temple to his chin. There Pippin stopped to cup his cheek, and as with the movement of Pippin's hand, Merry's breath stopped. His thumb gently brushed the silken skin of Merry's cheek as his breath returned to him in shuddering gasps. Pippin's mind wondered at the softness of the creature before him.

"Pippin…" Merry whispered softly just before their lips met. Such a kiss, Merry had never known. In sweetness and tenderness alone, it blew his mind. They each pulled away after a short time. Merry could feel a blush begin to color his cheeks. "You've no idea how long I have wanted to do that…" he whispered nervously.

Pippin started at this in surprise before giggling and adding, "I have fought temptation all day and thought I should be mad from just those few hours!" They both laughed together and fell into place in each other's arms. Pippin nuzzled his nose into the space between Merry's jaw line and collarbone and inhaled deeply. Merry giggled furiously as Pippin placed gentle kisses to the underside of his throat.

"Pippin that tickles," he exclaimed.

"Then I should like very much to find out where else you are ticklish… if only to hear you giggle like that," Pippin said. They both blushed bright pink and laughed at their combined embarrassment before snuggling further into each other's embrace.


End file.
